the three
by Liska Kiki
Summary: post Meranda and River still isn't trusted, not by herself, now with her neice, not with the weapons. but her family dont know she was once part of the three and her old family from the academy is coming back, and they need her help. 'Only through blood comes retribution'
1. Chapter 1

"Aunt River, tell me a story" demanded the small 8 year old girl to her almost insane aunty, who was sitting alone at the kitchen table sharpening a knife.

"Okay Ally. Once upon a time there was a little girl who was very smart, so smart that her parents sent her to a special school…"

~ Across the ship ~

A very agitated Kaylee strides into the infirmary "have you seen Ally, is she in here with you?" she asks, almost franticly

"No, I was just about to look for River, I haven't seen her in hours" say Simon "you don't think…"

"Of course not" she says, not sounding entirely sure "RIVER, ALLY" she calls, Simon joins her pursuit, alerting Mal, Jayne and Zoe who also begin to look for the youngest members of the crew

~ In the Kitchen ~

"At the school the girl found herself two very special friends, friends who were a bit like her, but different. See, the girl could read minds, and her friend, Maya, was an empath, meaning she could read and influence emotions, and her friend Tsavo had pre-cognition, meaning she could read the future…"

Just then Mal, Jayne, Simon and Kaylee enter the kitchen in a huff. Kaylee immediately goes straight to Ally, asking menial things like 'are you okay, what were you doing etc.'

Simon going straight to her with Mal at his back "What are you doing, River, you know you're not allowed to be alone with Ally" he scolds his younger sister

"Aunty River was just telling me a story, Daddy, about a really smart girl, and a special school..." by this point Simon looked mad "and her friends their…" this brought confusion over his features "and they were all special, and we were just getting to the part where they do something awesome with their powers, right aunty River?" Ally asks

"Of course Ally" the young reader said with a smile. Then, with a cold glance at her brother, she leaves the kitchen and promptly goes to her room.

~ Several worlds away, small transport ship, heading on-route to a Firefly class cargo-hauler named Serenity ~

Tsavo sits alone, the blue hands in the next room. Idiots, leaving her alone like this, sending her to kill one of her best friends, of course they think she's under the control of her programming, but she's not. She knows this could end one of two ways, with her dead or with her unit coming together, to take down the academy, she was just hoping for the latter.

Don't they know where my allegiance sits, of course not, they weren't built that way, she knew her programing would be reset before she was truly deployed, and she hoped that River knew how to stop her doing something stupid. "only through blood comes retribution" she whispers.


	2. Chapter 2

"River, River comes out, it's time for dinner" Jayne bellows through her bunk door

"NO, go away Jayne" she returns, heavy footsteps from a walking away ape-man are heard, then a run and her bunk door, previously locked, crashed open

"Girl, get your but up here, or do I have to come down and get you?" he asks, she simple huffs and follows him to the small kitchen, filled with the sounds of clattering plates and odd discussions. She sat through dinner quietly with a slightly glassy expression in her eyes, despite Kaylee's constant attempt to engage her in a conversation. When the eating was done and the crew had gone quiet she looks up and says

"The three are re-uniting, two comes near" and then she was back to her glassy expression and walks from the room, back to her bunk, back to alone.

Two was approaching faster that she assumed, but assumption was the mother of all fuck ups so she couldn't complain. She needed to prepare but the crew was constantly interrupting, but by weeks end she had procured the small pocket knife needed to break the programing, blood was key.

Soon they would land and soon they would be borded, she wouldn't make her presence known until we break atmo, logic told her to tell the crew, more than vague mentions at dinner, but her commitment to her unit was stronger than familial ties, so she wouldn't stop her now. She keeps the knife in the waistband of her underwear and waits for two to come home.

~ On Persephone ~

Soon, she would be here so soon, and she would allow her to board, allow her to stay, break her programming, just like she had taught her. It was all coming into motion, they would be together and that would be the end of the academy, the end of blue sun, is she could help it.

~ On Serenity ~

Mal sets Serenity down on Eavesdown docks and looks up, same bustling crowds same danger lurking underneath. He'd been on edge all week, since Rivers vague remark about 'the three', it sounded too much like bad news than to be here more than necessary. He walks down to the cargo bay where his ragtag team had begun to congregate

"Okay, y'all know the drill, Simon yr on food and med stuff, take Kaylee with ya and get some parts for our girl, only what we need to keep us in the sky, Jayne and Zoe are you both ready for the meet?", this was answered with a series of grunts and "yes, cap'n'ses", "back by nightfall, yes" he demands, which was also answered by grunts and "yes, cap'n'ses".

This leaved River alone waiting for her guest, she creeps to her dorm and waits, wanting to keep the surprise, only 3 hours to nightfall.

~ On Serenity ~

I crept into Serenity, she would know I was their but it was for people who may or may not be there. I hide myself in one of the many hidey-holes of the old firefly and set myself up to wait, approximately 2 hours until they would break atmo.

~ Persephone markets ~

Badger made a good deal, contacting up with some Hun Dan who wanted to transport meds from Persephone to Ezra, they were getting a good cut so'z that was okay, except for the threat of Niska being right at our doorstop.

~ On Serenity – Nightfall ~

"We got everyone cap'n?" asks Zoe

"Yea, that's all of us" Mal answers –into com- "Kaylee, get us started"

"Yes cap'n" her answer crackles through the com as River, who had been surprisingly absent, enters the cargo bay and Mal goes up to pilot. As they broke atmo, with River, Zoe, Jayne and Simon still in the cargo bay River proclaims

"Well, this will be an interesting night!"


	3. Chapter 3

My breathing is regular, my heartbeat is steady, my body is calm, but my brain is not. Being under programming is like having multiple personalities or complete paralysis or being possessed. I know what I am doing, I can see it, I can feel it, but I can't stop it. The main part of my brain, the part that is Tsavo screams for me to stop, to just not be here. The other part, the programming part, thinks only of strategy, how do you beat someone who has the same training as you but twice the grace, but your opponent has been out of the game for a while and might be rusty. But I know that she would never be rusty, could never be rusty, it's just against our nature. With all this in mind we drop face to face with the enemy, we would have landed on her but she knew we were coming, and yet it is us who throw the first punch.

* * *

I jump out of the way of the fist coming at my face and respond with an obvious high kick which she avoids by spinning right into my space where I elbow her in the face. She jumps back and spits blood, then we start the dance. I doesn't take long, she is strong but I am fast, I knock her legs from under her and immediately straddle her hips and pin her shoulders with my hands, putting my full weight on her.

"What in hell is going on" proclaims a rather surprised Jayne

"That's what I want to know" says Mal in that cold tone reserved for intruders

"Under control cap'n" I say with a smirk as I continue to look straight into her wild eyes, the eyes of a killer, not the eyes of Tsavo, "It's gonna be ok, T" I whisper to her before I sit back on my heals and produce the knife from my waistband, the motion generates cries of outrage and surprise from the assembled crew. With my left hand I caress her face and open her mouth slightly, them with a fast motion I slice open my tongue and give my friend a kiss, the kind of kiss you don't give friends. She is surprised and struggles, but as our blood mingles she relaxes into my grip and then kisses me back before throwing me off and spitting the blood from her mouth.

"That's nasty, R" she says as she helps me up

"Oh, you kissed me back, so don't even try to deny it, you love me" I say and pull her into a hug, the desperate almost melding of two people king of hug that only people who are really close can accomplish

"Course I love you, you big lesbo" she responds with a smile but I know she is crying because I am too.

"Okay WHAT is going ON" proclaims an irritated Mal

"Blood reunion" we say in unison.


End file.
